Matt

How do you assess that? If a medical professional had declared you unfit to fly, how do you rationalise declaring yourself fit to fly? I must admit to being somewhat perplexed by the reluctance of people to undergo a regular medical. We gladly accept that our aircraft are required to undergo periodic inspections 50/100 hourly, we accept TBO's and the like, we do daily inspections, yet there seems to be reluctance to apply the same theory to ourselves...despite our form being a far more complex gadget than any aircraft. Personally I'm a supporter of appropriate medicals for all aircrew - whether commercial or recreational (where recreational = non-commercial, not just RAA), especially if you are taking passengers.

Some more footage from various training missions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKh030s15s"

Hi Pete, you should be able to use most FS2002 and FS2004 aircraft with FSX. I can send you some simple instructions on how to use FS200X aircraft with FSX if you'd like. Cheers, Matt.

Ben, you've invited us all to a fly-in...it's certain to rain now

Link to the DOTARS ASIC details...remembering this is a DOTARS mandate, not CASA. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/security/aviation/factsheet/fact13.aspx

We'll be there, will be good to see the Cheetah again Slarty! Kaz.

As per Kaz's post during the week, the plan for this weekend was to go to Shepparton and take part in their regular Saturday feast and catch up with Brent (BrentC), Ben (Ben Longden) and Mike (Pelorus32)...Friday night comes around and it seems those plans wouldn't quite work out as both Ben and Mike wouldn't be there...all good plans. After a few text and private messages on Friday night it seems we'll be adding Echuca to our flight plan as Ben will be at Echuca and we can catch up with him there. Saturday morning comes and after a quick stop on the way to the airfield for a much needed haircut (need to look good in the pics ) we roll MCT out of the hangar under overcast skies and depart runway 36 at Kyneton and head for Echuca...which doesn't even require a heading change after takeoff today. On track to Echuca we head over what I thought was an unidentified airfield which turns out to be the Heathcote Dragway and many other private strips. We also start to clear the overcast skies from down south and by the time we start descending into Echuca the skies are clearing and the sun is now warming us up nicely...and I was cursing having left my sunglasses in the car! Despite a 15 knot headwind at cruising levels there was nil wind on the ground as we join circuit and land on runway 17 at Echuca. Finals RWY17 YECH After landing we meet up with Ben and head off to the aero club building...where we unexpectedly meet up with some other "unknown friends" in Pete (BigPete) and Pete (LittlePete) who were out at the field watching aeroplanes on a fine Saturday morning. After a bit of general chit chat I offered a look over MCT which the guys were more than willing to take up. Ben admiring the CT4 cockpit. BigPete & LittlePete LittlePete at the controls It turns out that LittlePete is already an established "flyer" as a regular passenger with BigPete as well as relating a story of an aerobatic flight in an Extra 300...what's the chances we'll see LittlePete posting a story here about his first solo in about 7 years time! It was nearing time to head off to beat the lunchtime rush at Shepparton so we climb back in the cockpit, bid farewell to our new friends and head off on the long trip to Shep...all 15 minutes of it! Finals RWY36 YSHT As we land and taxi off the runway we spot some familiar aircraft from Kyneton who have obviously also headed to Shepparton for lunch! We wander into the club and are greeted by Tristan one of the local (very busy!) flying instructors who introduces us to a few of the locals and we're given instructions on where to pay our $6 and then directed to the feast on offer. As we're getting our lunch we meet up with Kyneton locals Norm and Warren. While we eat our meal and chat, we're joined by Brent and his co-pilot for the day Larry. Col's RV and Norm's Corby Starlet...or the "Clown Plane" as Kaz has labelled it Col is 82 years old and flew Mosquito's in WW2, has accumulated just over 30,000 hours and is still flying as capably as ever according to his Warren - another high time pilot who is his co-pilot for the day. Having finished lunch and met and chatted with many old and new friends, it's time to fill the tanks ($1.89 per litre at Shepparton today ) and join the other chaps heading back to Kyneton. Brent and Larry decide to join the aerial convoy to get some more flying into the afternoon. We also use the trip as an opportunity to do some air-to-air photography...almost exactly 12 months after first meeting Brent at Tooradin on our first trip to Melbourne in the CT4 where we got our first air-to-air shots! (See Brent's awesome shot in the photo comp section!) Having left Shepparton in reasonably good weather, we encounter some scattered cloud on the way home which turns to 8/8ths by the time we near Heathcote. As we approach the circuit we hear Warren and Col inbound in the RV at the same distance and altitude as us...but not in sight. A few more radio calls and we get a visual on them and position to follow them into the circuit. On the ground there's more folks around with a few hangars open and a few visiting aircraft about so we continue the "meet and greet" day with some of the locals that we'd not had the chance to meet yet. After a great day's flying, catching up with old friends and meeting new friends, we roll MCT back into the hangar and head home. What a great day! Cheers, Matt & Kaz

No helmets or parachutes, only Bose headsets and comfy cushions for us :thumb_up:

On the contrary, think this is a perfect example of "recreational"...don't confuse recreational with ultralights, all of us are recreational aviators in our own ways...some are ultralight, some are a bit heavier Cheers, Matt. >PS: Good luck with the RV-10, they are a great aircraft and as with the other posts - keep us up to date with your progress.

LOL, know what you mean about the ski lift...both landings today were a little questionable...just when I thought the tyres were going to kiss the tarmac the ground dropped away. Think it'll take a few more goes to figure that end out! $1.96...bloody hell!!! We'll planning on getting up to Echuca in the next couple of trips, also to Shepparton...need to find out when all the BBQs are on :thumb_up:...Kaz needs to add those to the Events calendar!

Not so much a trip report today as a destination report...as the trip was actually quite short. After 3 months back home in Melbourne we've finally secured a hangar for our CT4 at Kyneton. The plan was to relocate yesterday but the weather in Melbourne wasn't on my side...cloud on the ground. Fast forward to today and it's not much better but good enough for the short sprint from Penfield to Kyneton via Lancefield. The cloud base was solid and sitting around 3000', as I approached Lancefield and made the turn for Kyneton, the cloud stopped and it was clear blue skies north of the Macedon ranges...another reason for relocating from Penfield! After a few minutes on the ground, it was now too nice a day to spend inside so we went for a quick trip up to Bendigo, made use of the BP bowser...and suffered some "sticker shock" - AVGAS at $1.89 per litre and we took 120L to fill the tanks. We also made use of Ray's hospitality again and had a cuppa and some mini chocolate bars...just what the doctor ordered as once again we'd forgotten about lunch on a flying day! Anyhow, here's some pics of our new airfield and the CT4's new home.

As per JayKay's post, give Di at Punkin Head a call, she owns a couple of trikes and her and her mum make covers for just about anything - we've had covers for our Sportstar and CT4 made by them and both were fantastic fit and finish....and they're both lovely!

Suggest you'd be better off checking NOTAM for East Sale as part of your pre-flight planning - no point getting to the edge of the boundary to find you can't go any further. I'd suggest your instructor is looking to see whether you are aware of and using all the resources available to you for your flight planning. Knowing as much as you can about your intended flight before you strap on the aeroplane is probably what he/she is looking for. While Brent's method will get the desired result, it's probably a bit late to find this out once you're in the air on your way to West Sale if that's your intended destination...it also adds workload to controllers who probably have better things to be doing than answering questions which could have been answered by more thorough preparation. Suggest you also don't "barrel on in at any altitude", an approach at the correct hemispherical altitude for the direction your heading would probably be a more appropriate approach. PS> Nothing against Brent's post, just an alternate method to achieve the same result. Cheers, Matt.

Reason for the change - hangarage. After a few months of searching we've managed to locate a hangar space at Kyneton and will be able to get the CT4 indoors and out of the weather for the first time in 12 months. While Penfield is convenient at the moment, we'll be moving into our new house in Gisborne next year and it's only a 20 minute drive up the freeway from Gisborne to Kyneton...in fact it's only 30 minutes from our current place at Sunbury. Kyneton also allows quicker & direct access to our aerobatic area as it's under a 8500' CTA step where Penfield is cramped under the 2500' step - requiring 10-15 minutes flight time to and from the training areas to get sufficient height.

Morning Ferret, Answers and then some advice: #1a: Jeppesen is a company which produces aviation charts, GPS databases amongst a heap of other stuff - check out http://www.jeppesen.com/wlcs/index.jsp #1b: WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System and is a supplemental system to GPS to improve accuracy and availability. Currently a US only capability but it is being developed by European, Asian and other aviation navigation providers. #2: Most/all GPS's can be updated with databases available from Jeppesen or a few other providers (although Jeppesen is the primary provider). Their data contains all airspace details for Australia for example - control steps, restricted etc. It contains all major airfields/airports but generally doesn't contain the smaller country / private strips. You can create these yourself though using the software that comes with the GPS. #3: I'm not aware of the 296 specific capabilities, but the 196 will alert you to controlled airspace (nearby/above/in it), it won't differentiate between airspace types i.e. C, G, A etc. - it's either controlled or not. Unless you manually create a route to go from Tooradin to Ballarat to navigate around controlled airspace or any other obstacles or terrain to be avoided, the GPS will take you on a direct path from A to B - it will tell you that you're approaching / in controlled airpsace but won't direct you around it. Now for some advice - don't go out and buy a GPS, AIRNAV or any other "computer assisting" aid until you've got your nav endorsement and fully understand the fundamental skills required for aerial navigation. Under the Visual Flight Rules, you are not legally allowed to use a GPS for primary/only means of navigation, you must carry current maps/charts/ERSA, stopwatch, compass etc. and navigate using these means. Hopefully your instructor will give you the same advice. PS> Good to see you back at work :thumb_up: Cheers, Matt.

Did someone say CT4 Welcome Clack, I'm guessing by your type list that you spent some time as a military aviator. Some of us here are less "ultralight" than others but it's all recreational and very friendly. PS> We operate a CT4 out of Penfield (Sunbury) currently but just about to move her up to Kyneton...where there's quite a group of ex-military-airline flyers. PPS> Your Tiger Moth and Yak52 operations wouldn't be out of Point Cook by any chance? Cheers, Matt.

My thoughts only - if you had no elevator control but had aileron control, you could/would use power and elevator trim (assuming the trim tab is a seperate mechanism) to control your attitude and airspeed and therefore height. Something we should all have been taught / exposed to during our initial training and something we should experience ongoing is how to make effective use of primary and secondary controls or other available means to control an aircraft in the event of a failure of one of your primary or secondary controls. We all learn about engine failure, what about an elevator failure, flap failure, aileron failure... Good question Ant. Cheers, Matt.

Seen that one before then Brent... ;) Understand the point and question about the video, initial reaction might be "pilot climbed too steeply after rotating, stalled and crashed" thus assuming pilot/human error. In actual fact the gust locks were left in causing effectively the same result with ultimately same cause = human error.

Well we made the long journey...all 20 minutes of it...across to Ballarat today and met another forum member in person (Derek aka Decca) and met up with another we'd met at Camden Haven last year (Nev aka Facthunter). I must say that Derek is looking very well and is in great spirits and Nev was in fine story telling form as always. After a spot of lunch and a cuppa it was time to make good on an offer to take Derek for a flight in the CT4. After strapping in it was time to get airborne and see some of the local sights around Ballarat...including a trip to Snake Valley to see Derek's farm and then a bit of fun over "lake" Burrumbeet showing Derek some of the capabilities and handling of the CT4 which included some wing overs, steep turns, various stalls and returning to Ballarat for a few circuits. Derek got some time on the controls and took care of most of the radio calls in the circuit area and was spot on with identifying traffic in and around the circuit area. It was a great afternoon and we really enjoyed our time at Ballarat with Derek and Nev and the many other folks we met today...too many names to remember I'm afraid. I'm glad I could share my passion and "pride and joy" with another appreciative passenger and got great pleasure out of Derek's obvious enjoyment. Here's some pics from the day from our ever present photographer Kaz

Have attended a few of these nights myself and have seen some inconsistent interpretations of rules by presenters and therefore some questions raised by the audience...as you've done. While the "preferred" or "recommended" circuit joining methods are the 45 degree downwind and mid field crosswind, I wouldn't go so far as to say that you "can't" join in any other method so long as you complete the minimum 3 legs or flying a straight in approach. The AIP states (and I underlined "SHOULD" as it has a different meaning to "MUST"): 64.2 An aircraft approaching a non-towered aerodrome for a landing should join the circuit in accordance with para 64.5 unless it is: a. following an instrument approach procedure in IMC; or b. conducting a visual circling procedure in IMC after completion of an instrument approach procedure; or c. conducting a straight-in approach in accordance with para 64.6. 64.5 Circuit Entry 64.5.1 Entry to the circuit depends upon the direction of arrival and traffic conditions. The recommended methods for entering the circuit are as follows: a. From the live side, arrive at the appropriate circuit altitude before entering the circuit. Approach the circuit on a course 45° to the downwind leg and join the circuit abeam the middle of the runway; or b. From the dead side, arrive at the appropriate circuit altitude before entering the circuit. Turn crosswind between the departure end of the runway and the middle of the runway. Give way to aircraft established in the circuit and on the 45° entry to downwind. Some aerodromes (including ours at Penfield) have specific procedures which contradict these due to contra circuits for GA/Ultralights as well as controlled airspace being 1400' above the airfield. I've not hear or read anything which restricts overflying the field to determine wind, field conditions etc. - the expectation would be that this is done above circuit so as not to conflict with other traffic...and therefore showing good airmanship which is the aim of the game. If in doubt, check the VFR Flight Guide and AIPs for the actual "can do" and "can't do" regarding operations at non towered aerodromes.

When we had the Sportstar it was pretty much spot on 100 hours per year and in the 12 months we've had the CT4 I've done about 130 hours. I try to get out every weekend for a couple of hours weather permitting...if I miss a week I will get some more time in the following weekend.

I'd suggest land as soon as possible, while there may be 20 litres left, I'd suggest not all that is useable (potentially half of it - 5 litres either side) in which case you only have about 35 mins of fuel left assuming a fuel burn of about 15L/HR. On a similar topic, our CT4 has an interesting fuel placard placard - required by CASA directive - which states (and I kid you not) "When fuel indicator reads ZERO, fuel remaining in tank cannot be safely used in flight" - thanks Captain Obvious for that one!

Hi everyone, A quick note to suggest a destination for anyone going out to commit aviation this Saturday in the southern Victoria area. Kaz and I are heading over to Ballarat to meet up with Decca and a few other YBLT locals and thought that with the weather forecast for this weekend being perfect for flying, we'd encourage any of the "local" flyers to join us for an impromptu "fly in" at Ballarat for a meet & greet session. Anyhow, hope to see some of you there if you can make it...or if you're a Ballarat local and you're out at the field on Saturday, make yourselves known to us! PS> We're aiming to be there around midday (12:00). Cheers, Matt.

Agree - great articles and I'll be having a review of my checklists as a result, had already started this process as part of my aerobatics training.

This might be a bit high level, but I have used in a number of ways with various work groups in the past...easily transferable to aviators and the intent is the same: "In everything that you do, ensure that your performance enhances aviation's reputation" It can mean many things to many people, but the intent is what I think you're trying to achieve - to define the reputation and therefore perception of an aviator by peers, passengers and onlookers...their perception is their reality. We all want to be perceived as safe, competent and in command - I would expect that would be achieved by doing the things discussed in this thread.